Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government on Tuesday sent two officers to Telangana to coordinate the rescue operations for Odia workers working in Sigachi pharma company’s factory, where an explosion on Monday left at least 44 dead and dozens with severe burn injuries.
The two officers are OSD, Directorate of Odisha Paribar, Pritish Panda and OPS Dr Chandra Sekhar Hota.
“In view of the fire accident at Sigachi Pharma Company of Sangareddy District in Telangana on 30-06-2025, Shri Pritish Panda, OSD, Directorate of Odisha Paribar and Dr. Chandra Sekhar Hota, O.P.S., are hereby directed to travel to Telangana to coordinate the rescue operation for the Odia workers working in Sigachi Pharma Company,” the government order said.
According to reports, several victims of the chemical factory blast are migrant workers from Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Around 108 workers were reportedly inside the facility at the time of the blast. While the toll has so far touched 44, rescue operations are still underway.
Reports further stated that over 11 bodies have been handed over to family members after postmortem. These include three workers from Odisha – Rajanala Jaganmohan, Lagnajit Dawuri, and Manoj. Four others are Andhra Pradesh, one from Telangana and two from Bihar.
How did the blast occur?
The explosion occurred at around 8.30 am inside the spray dryer unit of the pharmaceutical factory, when a sudden build-up of pressure caused a fire and subsequent collapse. Investigators believe that fine chemical particles may have ignited in the dryer’s air-handling system, though a definitive cause is still under examination by a high-level government inquiry panel.
Emergency teams from the National Disaster Response Force, fire services, and local authorities worked through the rubble and flames for hours, rescuing injured survivors and retrieving bodies from the debris. Many families arrived at the site in desperation, searching for loved ones, only to be met with silence or grim confirmation.
Rs 1 crore to families of the workers who died
The Telangana government has ordered a full probe into the incident and temporarily shut down Sigachi Industries’ operations at the Pashamylaram plant for a minimum of 90 days. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who visited the site, promised that all safety lapses would be investigated and said compensation would be disbursed to victims’ families. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced Rs 2 lakh each. Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy instructed officials to provide compensation of Rs 1 crore to families of the workers who died in the blast. Directions were issued to give Rs 10 lakh to those several injured.
